Sense
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: Zelena used magic against Regina and it left her blind. Emma is there for her until she gets her sight back - Regina fan. Pre-SQ/SQ.


_Zelena used magic against Regina and it left her blind. Emma is there for her until she gets her sight back - Regina fan_

_Thank you for the prompt. This is pre-SQ/SQ by the end. I apologise for any mistakes and I (sadly) don't own Once or its characters. I hope you enjoy the story :) _

Regina winces as she focuses her magic on defeating Zelena. Her sister is sending a beam of dark magic right at her but luckily Regina's light magic seems to be holding it off. The two forms of magic battle each other for several tense and exhausting minutes before the light consumes the dark. As it does the magic blasts sending both women flying. Charming runs over to arrest Zelena and lock her away without magic whilst Emma and Henry run to go check on an unconscious Regina.

"Mom," Henry says, "Mom wake up."

A few more seconds and she still doesn't respond sending panic through both Emma and Henry. "What's wrong with my Mom?" Henry asks worriedly.

"Don't panic kid," Emma says in what she hopes is a reassuring tone though she too is scared out of her mind by Regina's lack of consciousness. She hasn't worked up the courage to tell Regina how she feels but she dreads the thought that magic might rob her of the chance to. "Let's just get your Mom to the hospital and I bet that by the time we get there she'll be awake and fine."

"What if she isn't?" he asks fearfully.

"Then we'll be there for her until she is," Emma replies. Henry looks into his mother's determined eyes. He knows about her feelings for Regina. He has done for some time. He's seen how they act around each other and upon their return to Storybrooke it couldn't have been clearer to him. Now he just hopes they get a chance to be a family together. He nods at Emma knowing that right now his Mom needs them both just to be here.

* * *

><p>Henry snores by his mother's bedside having gradually given into his exhaustion. Regina still hasn't woken up and it terrifies Emma and Henry who have maintained a bedside vigil since the brunette was brought into hospital. Emma refuses to go to sleep though. She won't until she sees for herself that Regina is okay.<p>

A murmur startles Emma in the silence of the hospital room and she looks over to see Regina stirring. _Oh thank god, _she thinks before rushing to stand and take Regina's hand.

Regina becomes aware of a hand holding her own. She can hear the soft snores of her son and sighs in relief at knowing he's okay. Her head hurts. She remembers a pulse of magic and a flash of dark magic hitting her as the light consumed it. She opens her eyes and sees darkness. Nothing but darkness.

_Oh god _Regina thinks as she begins to panic. She can hear a wild beeping beside her and that only makes her panic further.

"Hey. Sh. Stop Regina it's okay. You're in the hospital. Just calm down. Breathe. Just breathe," Emma says soothingly as she sees Regina panic. She settles a hand on Regina's back before rubbing her hand in calming circles to ease Regina's terror.

Regina feels the motion of Emma's hand and relaxes into the touch. As Emma speaks she feels herself begin to calm down. With the saviour she's always felt a kind of comfort. Even when they were enemies she knew she could count on Regina to keep her safe. "Emma?" she asks shakily.

"I'm here," Emma promises.

"Emma. I-I can't see," Regina stammers out still panicking at her sudden loss of vision. She's overwhelmed by the loss of the sense. _What if it's permanent? _She can't help but ask herself that question. She'll never see Henry again, or Emma, or the small things that make up her town. She can feel a tear roll down her cheek but not see the finger that wipes it away.

Emma can see the terror written all over Regina's face, her emotions still showing heavily in unseeing eyes. "Hey, hey, listen to me it's going to be okay. You're going to be okay?"

"What if I never get my sight back?"

"Then we'll deal with that Regina. Either way Henry and I will be there for you. You won't go through this alone."

"I won't?"

"No," Emma vows. "I'll be here."

* * *

><p>Whale can provide no reassurance. He suggests that since it's magical it could be reversed but that he can give no guarantees. Rumple offers to look but so far has come up with nothing. It's been over a month now and gradually Regina has grown used to her sightless existence. She still hopes for the day when she can see her son and the woman she secretly loves again. She hasn't told Emma how she feels yet. She doesn't know how. Right now she's been too overwhelmed with adjusting to life without sight.<p>

It helps that Emma has been there for her every day. So has her son. Before she came home from the hospital they both helped her around the mansion and added in little aids so she would know the layout of the house. It helps as well that they both stayed. Regina basks in the safety they provide her. With them she feels loved and cared for and she knows Emma returns her feelings. She just needs to work up the courage to tell her how she feels.

One day.

Without her sight she's been focussing on her other senses. Touch has become crucial. She feels the ripples and currents of the walls that let her know when she has reached a new room. The soft wood beneath her hands tells her of doors.

One of her favourite things to touch is the grass outside. She loves gardening and her garden and though she cannot see it she loves the heightened feel of blades of grass beneath her fingertips. If Emma's there too she'll hand her an apple so Regina can run her hands over the shiny surface and tell her if they're good to harvest yet.

She cannot see her son. So she enjoys the feel of his arms wrapped around her in a reassuring embrace. He sits still from time to time and lets her trace her finger over his face so she can remember his face. It helps.

Around the town she might panic. She might were it not for a soft hand in hers. She runs her fingers over the rough callouses on some parts of Emma's palm. She feels the warm and gentle heat of Emma's hand clasping her own and lets that touch guide her.

* * *

><p>Sound is clearer. That takes Regina by surprise. There were so many sounds that she had previously taken for granted but in her now dark world she cherishes them. There are practical reasons. A car horn alerts her to a danger she might otherwise miss. A new voice makes her aware of who's approaching. Sound too becomes critical for her in forming a new independent life.<p>

The crispness of sound however is remarkable to her for other reasons too. Sounds that she recently just heard she now listens to. She takes in the rich notes and variety of sound in the world and adores them all. They open up her world a little more and most days she loves to sit and simply listen to sound.

She loves the sound of waves. She finds their ripples and crashes to be a soothing symphony. Their sound she enjoys because when she closes her eyes she can picture the waves that accompany them. Their sound is crisp yet relaxing.

Her favourite sounds are the ones that she doesn't even need to picture because they're magical to her just on their own.

She laughs to hear Henry laugh. For a few days after her accident he didn't as if he was scared to feel that kind of joy while his mother was going through such a terrifying experience. Then one afternoon they were watching a Friends rerun and he couldn't help himself. The sound made Regina's heart sing. She's always enjoyed the sound of her son's laughter but in that moment it reminded how happy they could still be. The laughter proved to be contagious and she couldn't help but join in.

Her other favourite sound is Emma's voice. She doesn't know whether or not it's because it was the first voice she heard when she woke up or because she's always found Emma's voice comforting. Other people still startle her when they speak. Emma never does. When she hears Emma's voice she feels herself relax. Her worries dissipate when she hears Emma speak and she lets herself be carried along in the notes and tones that make up Emma.

* * *

><p>Smell becomes a game between her and Emma. After two weeks of TV dinners and takeaway Regina puts her foot down. She insists on teaching Emma to cook. The first few lessons were disasters but fun ones. Regina used the recipes and scents of the food to guide her but their lessons were often filled with laughter over mishaps. What she expected to find frustrating she soon began to enjoy because she knew Emma would make sure she never felt down about the reason behind having to teach her in the first place.<p>

Regina grew to love the cooking lessons. Not only would she get the delicious smells of fresh cooking and baking but she got to be close to Emma. Standing so near to the blonde she could catch the scent of Emma. She smiles when she can smell the hint of bearclaws and chocolate. It's a uniquely Emma smell that makes her feel comfortable and safe yet also is tempting enough to cause her heart to skip a beat.

Six weeks later and cooking lessons are some of her favourite times. They're always rich with laughter and delicious smells as Emma grows more and more confident in her cooking abilities. Each new meal success is a reminder to Regina of Emma's promise to be there for her and how Emma has truly stood by that.

* * *

><p>Taste becomes an inevitability. After two months of having Emma stand by her side and support her through the magic-induced darkness Regina knows she can no longer hide her feelings. She loves Emma and she wants Emma to know it. She wants Emma to know how much she cherishes the support Emma has given her and how grateful she is to have someone be so devoted to caring for her.<p>

Taste becomes inevitable. Each moment she yearns to taste those sweet soft lips her fingers have often ghosted touches against.

Two months of being blind has awoken her to just how strongly she feels for Emma. She had known she felt something for Emma but over the two months with Emma by her side she knew she had fallen in love.

Emma walks into the kitchen where Regina stands looking out into the garden as usual. She runs her hand across Regina's back as usual before standing next to her, "Are you okay?"

Regina nods, "I've just been thinking."

"About what?"

"I took sight for granted and I lost it. There are things I miss and things I wish and hope I will see again. But losing my sight made me realise something."

"What?"

"That I don't want to take anything else for granted," Regina says, "And I don't want to lose something I never knew I wanted."

Emma smiles hopefully, "What's that?"

"You," Regina replies and Emma grins. "Me?"

Regina nods, "You. I love you Emma. I don't know if you feel the same. I hope you do. Either way I needed to tell you. Over the past few months I've realised how much I love you and how much you mean to me. When the darkness fell you remained. You stayed by my side and I am so grateful for that. You have no idea what you simply staying means to me. I don't want to lose you Emma and I don't want to take it for granted that I'll one day in the future get the chance to tell you. I want you to know that I love you."

Emma smiles brightly before stepping closer to Regina, "I love you too Regina. I have been hopelessly and head over heels in love with you for so long. I just never had the courage to tell you. I'm here Regina because I want to be here. I always want to be here."

"Even though I can't see?"

"You can hear my voice. You can feel my touch. I love you for who you are Regina. You not being able to see doesn't change that."

Taste was inevitable.

It's Regina who leans in. She has to tilt her head up slightly so she can kiss Emma. The taste and touch is better than she ever imagined. It's full of passion and love and it makes Regina's heart feel like it's doing cartwheels in her chest. She craves more but as they share that unforgettable first kiss magic flashes around them.

* * *

><p>Sight is a sudden shock that comes back to her as magic ripples around the two women. Regina pulls back with a gasp as the magic hits. She opens her eyes and everything comes back in crystal clear clarity. She cries in joy as the first thing she sees is Emma's face. She lets her eyes take in every detail that she has only dreamed of seeing again. Emma looks at her worriedly as Regina practically sobs. "Regina?"<p>

After a few more moments of simply staring and letting her eyes adjust to seeing everything Regina looks back to Emma, "I can see. I see you."

At those words Emma cries too. She walks forward engulfing Regina in a hug as she reaches her hands up to cradle Regina's face, "You can see me?"

"I always could," Regina replies before she kisses Emma joyfully. "I see you and I love you."

Sight is beautiful and unexpected. Regina walks all around the town that day just so she can see everything again. Ordinary things that she once ignored she takes the time to see. It's overwhelming at first but with each minute that passes she gets used to the sudden and glorious colours and images.

She doesn't know why Zelena's magic did what it did to her. All she knows is that her love for Emma lifted it. The magic put her into the dark. Love brought her back into the light and as Regina walks through town looking back and forth between her son and Emma she knows that the light is where she wants to stay.

_Thanks for reading :) _


End file.
